Man to be charged with first-degree premeditated murder

Marion County Sheriff's evidence technicians collect evidence at the scene of suspicious death of a man inside a home at 6095 Southeast 180th Ave Road in Ocklawaha in this Wednesday August 28, 2013 file photo. A neighbor came by to check on him and found him dead.

Published: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 1:54 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 1:54 p.m.

An Ocklawaha man who is believed to have killed another man for his pills late last month has been picked up by authorities in Georgia.

Issac DuWayne Sheffield is being held in the Toombs County Detention Center in Lyons, Ga. on a charge of possession of prescription pills without a prescription. He will be extradited to Marion County to face a murder charge in the death of Stanley Yassen, 74, whose body was found at his home at 6095 SE 180th Ave. Road in Ocklawaha on Aug. 28.

A neighbor discovered Yassen's bloodied, nude body on a bedroom floor. Detectives described the scene as "violent" and said Yassen had been stabbed at least nine times and had been beaten in the head, according to a report released Tuesday.

Authorities believe Sheffield killed Yassen in an attempt to steal pills, as Yassen sold a variety of pills, primarily oxycodone.

Maj. Tommy Bibb, head of the Marion County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Division, said Tuesday that once they considered Sheffield a suspect, they wanted to "get him off the streets as soon as possible before we had another victim."

Bibb said the Toombs County Sheriff's Office was instrumental in arresting Sheffield, collecting evidence and assisting MCSO detectives with interviews.

"This investigation is a reflection of how hard the entire Bureau of Investigations came together to solve this case," added MCSO's T.J. Watts, the lead detective.

A day after Yassen's body was found, a man told Watts that Yassen had approached him about five to seven days earlier and offered to pay him $1,000 to beat up Sheffield. Yassen suspected that Sheffield had burglarized his home in May, the report states.

Also on Aug. 29, MCSO Detective Bobby Levay interviewed a woman who told him that between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. the day before, Sheffield arrived at her home driving a blue Toyota and had washed the inside and outside with bleach. She said he also cleaned a beige Ford with bleach, which he then parked in a secluded area of the property, the report notes.

The owners of both vehicles later consented to searches of the cars.

On Sept. 5, Levay and detective Clint Smith interviewed a woman who said Sheffield told her he was at Yassen's residence three times on the day of the homicide and during one visit was sitting inside with Yassen drinking a glass of water. He claimed he left the home and later returned to see blood everywhere and the victim lying on the floor.

The woman said Sheffield told her he applied pressure to Yassen's neck with his shirt, but Yassen died shortly afterward. He said he used Yassen's phone and dialed 911, then hung up and left, according to the report.

The woman told detectives that Yassen had lacerations on his right knuckles and the wounds appeared to be a few days old. He also had lacerations on one of his legs, but he told her it came from jumping a fence on Aug. 29, according to the report.

According to sheriff's office officials, Sheffield told yet another woman that he was at Yassen's home between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Aug. 28 and drank some water and smoked marijuana with Yassen. He said he left but came back later and saw the front door open. He said he saw a lot of blood and Yassen on the kitchen floor with blood coming from his neck. He said he called 911 but hung up because he didn't want to be blamed for the man's injuries.

That woman also said Sheffield told her he had been wearing shoes that were too big for him, so he burned them, and that there was some blood by the driver's door on his car, so he removed that with bleach and water and washed the inside of the vehicle.

Bibb said Tuesday that there is no record of any 911 calls being made by Sheffield.

Officials collected two bags of clothing that belonged to Sheffield, which they began processing for clues. Other evidence collected included a knife, blood and burned clothing recovered from a burn pile at the home of one of Sheffield's relatives in Florida.

All of the items were analyzed by the Marion County Sheriff's Office's Forensic Unit and Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Detectives were notified later that the victim's blood had been recovered on the passenger side front door of a vehicle Sheffield had driven to Yassen's residence.

On Sept. 5, Watts got a call that Sheffield was headed to Georgia. He alerted Capt. Jay Page of the Toombs County Sheriff's Office. Page told Watts that Sheffield's family members already had told them Sheffield was headed their way.

Page's team spotted Sheffield's vehicle a little while later and took him into custody after the officers found prescription pills in his possession. A woman in the vehicle also was arrested on similar charge.

MCSO Lt. Donnie Winston and Watts traveled to Georgia, where they searched the vehicle and found a knife, clothing, a cellphone, latex gloves and a stick.

Investigators said Sheffield told them after his arrest that he went to Yassen's home on Aug. 28, had a glass of water and watched television, and that a man name Mike, who he did not know, showed up. He said that he left the home around 11:15 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. Yassen was fine. He would not say if he returned to the residence or not, the report states.

Allan Yassen said Tuesday that he was happy about Sheffield's arrest and is hopeful that "justice will be served" in his father's death.

"I think it's wonderful. This is just the start, and I hope to be strong for my family," he said.

Marion County Jail records show Sheffield was arrested here in August 2009 and April 2010. He served seven months in the jail on charges of burglary, grand theft, possession of marijuana less than 20 grams, resisting an officer without violence and possession of a schedule II drug without a prescription.

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118 or austin.miller@starbanner.com.

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